Batman (character)
Batman is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and first appeared in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). Originally named the "Bat-Man", the character is also referred to by such epithets as the Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight, and the World's Greatest Detective. Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne, an American billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and owner of Wayne Enterprises. After witnessing the murder of his parents Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne as a child, he swore revenge on criminals, an oath tempered by a sense of justice. Wayne trains himself physically and intellectually and crafts a bat-inspired persona to fight crime. Batman operates in the fictional Gotham City, with assistance from various supporting characters, including his butler Alfred, police commissioner Jim Gordon, and vigilante allies such as Robin. Unlike most superheroes, Batman does not possess any superpowers; rather, he relies on his genius intellect, physical prowess, martial arts abilities, detective skills, science and technology, vast wealth, intimidation, and indomitable will. A large assortment of villains make up Batman's rogues gallery, including his archenemy, the Joker. Batman became popular soon after his introduction in 1939 and gained his own comic book title, Batman, the following year. As the decades went on, differing interpretations of the character emerged. The late 1960's Batman television series used a camp aesthetic, which continued to be associated with the character for years after the show ended. Various creators worked to return the character to his dark roots, culminating in 1986 with The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. The success of Warner Bros.' live-action Batman feature films have helped maintain public interest in the character. An American cultural icon, Batman has been licensed and adapted into a variety of media, from radio to television and film, and appears on a variety of merchandise sold all over the world, such as toys and video games. The character has also intrigued psychiatrists, with many trying to understand the character's psyche. In May 2011, Batman placed second on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time, after Superman. Empire magazine listed him second in their 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters of All Time. Kevin Conroy, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, and Jason O'Mara, among others, have provided the character's voice for animated adaptations. Batman has been portrayed in both film and television by Lewis Wilson, Robert Lowery, Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck. Publication history Creation Golden Age Subsequent creation credit Early years Silver and Bronze Age 1950's and early 1960's "New Look" Batman and camp Modern Age The Dark Knight Returns The New 52 Characterization Bruce Wayne Personality Batman has a reputation of being a dark, angst ridden vigilante. With a gloomy persona, and a violent streak, he has earned the title "The Dark Knight." However Batman is first and foremost a superhero, and has a strong sense of honor and morality, as he will not kill his opponents, knowing that by doing so, he will succumb to his inner demons in full. That said, Batman is nothing if not pragmatic, and comfortably employs almost any other means or resources necessary to get the job done, and has shown a willingness to manipulate friends as well as enemies in the pursuits of his goals. He also suffers from being anti-social, critical of others (and himself on occasions), and is often incapable of pursuing a long-lasting relationship with anyone, as evidenced by his repeated failures with Catwoman, Talia Al Ghul, Zatanna, and others. Batman is a loner and makes a point of solely working and operating alone as a result of incidents such as the traumatic loss of Jason Todd. He is therefore extremely independent, to the point that he refuses bluntly to be a part of the team or to accept assistance from other people who could ultimately help him a great deal. Despite his social faults, he is extremely intelligent - a super-genius with twelve Master degrees and an unparalleled knowledge of criminology, combat and technology. Batman is also the world's greatest detective, and can analyse and memorize even the tiniest of details, including the shape of a cheek he has punched. As his alter ego Bruce Wayne, he presents himself to the world as a largely self-absorbed and irresponsible (if not also charity-driven) playboy and philanthropist. Only his closest allies know that this attitude is just an act and a further demonstration of his genius. Physical Appearance Bruce Wayne is an slender handsome man with fair skin, strong muscles and abs, black hair, and blue eyes. As Bruce Wayne, he wears a business suit or a tuxedo. As the superhero Batman, he wears a grey armored suit with a black bat crest on the center of the chest and the utility belt that contains the gadgets that Batman needs. He wears black head cowl with pointy bat ears, matching elbow-length gloves with three fins on the side angled backwards, briefs, boots, and floor length cape that expands in a shape of bat wings. The Tim Burton Batsuit In the 1989 film, Batman wears an black Batsuit with the yellow ellipse emblem containing the black two pointed bat symbol, he also dons a black cowl with pointy bat ears and a yellow utility belt. He used heavy armor for his chest, forearms, and sneakers. He has an floor length back cape with bat textures and expanded in the shape of bat wings. In Batman Returns, the suit is updated to a more angular version, the bat emblem now has an additional point, and Air Jordans replace the boots that Michael Keaton wore in the 1989 film. The Joel Schumacher Batsuit In Batman Forever, Batman has two batsuits (both dubbed the "Kilmer-suit" due to Bruce Wayne/Batman being played by Val Kilmer) the first of which, known as the "Panther Suit", focuses on a more stream-lined anatomical design than the Keaton-suits and a black utility belt instead of a yellow one. Like in Batman Returns, this Batsuit features numerous suit-pieces to be chosen and assembled by Bruce in the Batcave. A notable feature of the "Panther Suit" is a button on the utility belt which causes a fireproof coating to excrete from and cover the cape, allowing Batman to wrap it around himself as a shield from extreme fires. After the regular Batsuits are destroyed by The Riddler, Bruce forcefully uses a prototype "Sonar Suit", an iridescent silvery-black suit that possesses a more armor-like design than the "Panther Suit". The suit features a new bat symbol that is spread across the chest instead of being confined within an ellipse like in previous batsuits. This new Batsuit utilizes lenses that slide automatically over the cowl's eye holes to display a sonar-generated image of Batman's surroundings to him, allowing him to see with more accuracy in extreme darkness or glare. The Dark Knight Batsuit Batman uses a rejected prototype armor suit from the army that he sprayed with black rubber and added a bat symbol. He also dons a black bat head cowl to go with it along with matching wrist cuffs, gloves, boots, and a floor length cape that expands in a shape of bat wings, and wears a gold utility belt. Others Abilities Skills & Training Technology Personal Armor Batmobile Utility Belt Bat-Signal Batcave Other Equipment Supporting characters Adversaries Allies Romantic Interests Fictional character biography Cultural impact Film Appearances Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher ''Batman'' While Bruce publicly devoted his money and attention to cleaning up Gotham, his forays against the criminal underworld continued; which encouraged rumor and superstition of himself to manifest among the populace. As Batman, Bruce became attached to the Gotham Cathedral; that was once the spiritual center of the city, and took to surveying the city from among the cathedral's towers during patrols. It was during one of those surveys that he heard the scream of Harold's Wife as she and her son, were victims of a mugging, lain next their prone husband/father. After he tracked the two thugs responsible, Batman took the opportunity to use them to spread word of his presence in Gotham. Bruce's attention to being Batman, however, meant that he was unable to attend the celebratory event of Harvey Dent as Gotham's new District Attorney; his seat as one of Dent's prominent electoral supporters was notably empty. Holding a charity gala at Wayne Manor to help fund the flailing Gotham City 200th Anniversary Parade, Bruce was forced to attend the event due to his duties as a host, however, he ensured that the mansion's surveillance system tracked key guests such as Commissioner James Gordon, Harvey Dent and Mayor Borg, to gather possible intelligence on Gotham's affairs. While he attended to his duties as host, Bruce was harried by photographer Vicki Vale who, not knowing that he was the one that she was looking for, asked him where she could find "Bruce Wayne" to which Bruce responded seemingly in jest that he did not know. Vicki took him seriously then left to continue looking for him. Later, after he caught Vicki wandering the mansion along with reporter Alexander Knox, Bruce decided to follow them as they wandered into the mansion's armory, engaged them in conversation, and revealed himself to be the one that Vicki was searching for. However, as Vicki offered that she would like to photograph the mansion, Alfred appeared to alert Bruce of Gordon's sudden compulsion to leave the gala. After he left the two journalists in the armory, Bruce reviewed the surveillance footage of Gordon and learned of a pending massing of mafia and police forces that gathered at Axis Chemicals. After he learned of Gordon's potential plan to capture Jack Napier in order to get to crime boss Carl Grissom, Bruce decided to also go to Axis Chemicals to assist Gordon's forces in Napier's capture. Arriving at the chemical plant, Bruce found himself walking into a firefight between Napier's Men and Gordon's Men. After he systematically worked his way through Napier's men, Bruce crossed paths with Gordon before he managed to catch sight of Napier. About to apprehend him, Bruce was forced to let Napier go when his second, Bob, caught Gordon at gunpoint. After he let Napier kill Lt. Max Eckhardt, Bruce returned to distract Napier before he could escape. However, as a ricocheted bullet that was originally intended for Batman, pierced through Napier's face, Bruce attempted to save him from falling over the railing only to lose his grip and watch as Napier plummeted into the vat of chemicals below. Having failed in capturing Napier, Gordon attempted to capture Batman only to have him disappear from his reach; and ascend to the factory's roof using his grapple. The night a failure, Bruce left the plant and returned to the Batcave. After he managed to gain a dinner date with Vicki, Bruce attempted a formal dinner in one of the manor's formal dinner rooms only to realize her uncomfortably. After Bruce and Vicki decided to eat in the manor's kitchen instead with Alfred, Alfred began to recount stories of Bruce's youth and Vicki and Bruce began to bond. As Alfred left for bed, the pair left soon after; with Vicki slightly intoxicated. As Vicki fell asleep in his bed, Bruce stayed awake due to his insomnia and conflict over their growing bond; eventually, Bruce left to exercise until daybreak where he pretended to have fallen asleep on the couch. "Awoken" by Vicki, Bruce turned down her offer to have lunch together; and said that he had an "important meeting" to attend, which was the anniversary of his parents' deaths. Fending off Vicki's further offers with the lie that he would be out of town, Bruce instead agreed that they would meet when he returned. Later that day after Vicki had gone to work, Bruce left to perform the same ritual that he had performed every year since his parent's death; paying his respects at the alley where they died. Having learned of his lie about going out of town that day and having found no information on him at the Gotham Gazette, Vicki secretly followed Bruce as he left the manor; she followed and watched as he entered the alley between Pearl and Phillips Street and lain a pair of roses on the pavement. Not knowing of the significance of the alley, Vicki continued to follow Bruce as he wandered out of the alley into Gotham Square and a public announcement outside City Hall of Vinnie Ricorso taking control of Grissom's businesses. As Bruce watched the announcement and subsequent interview by Knox, various mimes began to approach and surround the group until one mime interrupted the announcement and killed Ricorso with a quill. After he recognized the mime as Jack Napier, a shocked Bruce didn't notice the subsequent gunfight that erupted around him as the other mimes opened fire on Ricorso's escorts and the police. While a bullet passed through his jacket, Bruce followed Napier as he escaped in a limousine with the other mimes; and was shaken out of his psychosis only after Vicki jostled him after the mimes escaped. Bruce returns to the manor only to be confronted by Alfred who had learned about the gunfight from Vicki over the phone. As Bruce sat in the lounge, Alfred questioned him on his treatment of Vicki and his choice to live alone. While momentarily considering the issue, Bruce turned instead to the issue that Napier was still alive and lead Grissom's men. While perusing acquired police files on Napier, Bruce caught the Action News television cast as the Joker hijacked the airwaves and announced his poisoning of various consumer products with Smylex. After he learned of Napier's knowledge of chemistry, Bruce embarked with Alfred to acquire various products to conduct their own investigation into the Joker's poison. A day and a half later, Bruce received a message from Vicki that said that she would be late going to a date with him at the Flugelheim Museum, even though he himself hadn't set up such a date. Regardless, Bruce went to the museum, thinking that he had simply forgotten the date due to his fixation with solving the chemical cocktail that Joker was killing Gotham with, to discover that the Joker was inside the museum with his henchmen; destroying the exhibits and harassing Vicki; the apparently sole museum patron who was still alive. Changing into the Batsuit and summoning the Batmobile to arrive at the location, Bruce broke into the museum through the skylight; grabbed Vicki, and escaped the museum by using the Gauntlet grapnel gun. After he instructed Vicki to enter the Batmobile, which was parked outside the museum's entrance, the pair were pursued by Joker's Goons in their own cars; and the police pursued both factions soon after. Easily outmaneuvering its pursuers, the Batmobile was forced to stop when it ran up against a construction project for the Anniversary Festival. Evacuating the vehicle, Bruce and Vicki ran down an alleyway where they were pursued again by the Joker's henchmen. Attempting to escape by grappling them both to an overhead catwalk, Bruce was forced detach himself from the device after it couldn't handle the weight of two people. As Vicki was catapulted to the catwalk, Bruce fell back into the alley with the Joker's thugs. Shot point blank in the chest, Bruce was momentarily incapacitated; which allowed the Goons to partially take off his mask, however, as flashes from Vicki's camera took photos overhead distracted them, Bruce replaced his mask, dispatched them, and momentarily confronted Bob in the process. Once the Goons were dispatched, Bruce turned his attention to retrieving Vicki, who disappeared from the rooftops that overlooked the alley and was in the process of hiding her photofilm. After he instructed the Batmobile to lead the police, who were surrounding the parked vehicle, on a chase through the streets as a diversion, Bruce managed to catch Vicki as she was descending a fire escape three buildings away. With Vicki in hand, Bruce ordered the Batmobile to retrieve them and then made their way back to the Batcave. Once in the Batcave, Bruce explained the findings of his chemical investigations with Vicki, and handed her the research notes to release to the press. After a brief conversation, Bruce knocked Vicki out and took the role of film that she had hidden in her blouse before he returned her to her apartment. While his findings were advertised on the evening addition of the Gotham Globe, Bruce moved on to locating the Joker's hideout. As Alfred informed Bruce that Vicki had left another message, he advised that perhaps, due to her tenacity, it would be better if Bruce told her that he was Batman. Taking Alfred's advice to heart, Bruce went over to Vicki's Apartment to confess his identity only to run up against her outrage over the one night stand, his refusal to answer her calls, and her concern over his behavior at the Gotham Square Shootout. While Bruce managed to calm Vicki down enough to begin to attempt to explain who he was, he was interrupted as the Joker and his Goons entered the apartment. After he managed to get to the kitchen as the Joker entered, Bruce intuitively tucked a silver metal serving tray under his shirt before he entered the living room before Joker could further harass Vicki. Perturbed by the presence of another man in the apartment, the Joker and Bruce exchanged small talk before Bruce himself hinted that he knew who Joker was previously and began to act violent. As Joker raised a gun towards Bruce, he asked the choice phrase that he asked all of his victims before he killed them; "You ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light?". Disturbed by the familiarity of the phrase, Bruce was shot in the chest; and the bullet was caught in the metal tray. Pushed into a corner by the impact Bruce opted to slump to the ground and play dead until the Joker and his Goons left the apartment and, while Vicki was distracted, he too escaped; and left the tray and the bullet behind. After he returned to the Batcave, Bruce requested the files on his parents to check on something as he returned to locating the Joker's hideout; he managed to trace the Joker's operations to Axis Chemicals as Alfred delivered the files with a stern admission of his wariness of Bruce's obsession with his parents' deaths. After the Joker once again hijacked the airwaves to declare a challenge towards Batman to be held during the anniversary festival, Bruce remembers the night of his parents' deaths and remembered Jack Napier as the mugger who killed them; he remembered Napier's catch phrase and his grin as he aimed his gun. As Bruce awoke from his recollection, Alfred revealed that he let Vicki, who had deduced that Bruce was Batman, into the Batcave. As Alfred left, Vicki began to question Bruce on how he really felt about her and their relationship and admitted that she didn't know how to handle his duel persona. After he revealed that he, too, did not know what to really think about being Batman, Bruce admitted that he would have liked to form a relationship with her, but that as long as threats like the Joker were in Gotham, he wouldn't be able to. After he left Vicki in the Batcave, Bruce then suited up to respond to the Joker's challenge; he took the Batmobile, used it to invade Axis Chemicals, and destroyed it. As the Joker managed to escape via his Helicopter, Bruce returned to the Batcave to change vehicles as the Joker began the parade on Broad Avenue; and incited chaos by throwing money into the crowd. As Bruce returned in the Batwing, Joker then began to release Smylex from his parade balloons; which killed onlookers as they clambered over each other for the money. After he quickly used the Batwing to acquire and drag the balloons into open air away from the city, Bruce turned back and began strafing the avenue with guns and missiles, which killing many of Joker's men but missed Joker himself until Joker pulled out a long and modified handgun and shot down the Batwing in one shot. After he crash-landed and exploded upon the stairs of the Gotham Cathedral, Bruce survived the Batwing's destruction and followed Joker into the cathedral as he abducted Vicki when she had attempted to free Bruce from the wreckage. Doggedly following Joker and Vicki up the cathedral tower, and quickly moving aside as Joker sent the cathedral bell falling down from the Bell Tower and blocking the police from entering, Bruce entered the Bell Tower and fought the remainder of the Joker's Goons before he engaged and beat Joker senseless; he revealed how Napier had murdered his parents before he punched him over the edge of the cathedral. The Joker, however, managed to stay up thanks to the building's gargoyles and attempted to drag both Batman and Vicki over the edge instead; and left them hanging over the edge as his helicopter arrived to collect him. However, Bruce used a bolo launcher to tie one of the gargoyles to Joker's leg as Joker hung onto his helicopter's rope ladder and attempted to climb up. Weighed down by the statue, Joker was unable to ascend, and, as the gargoyle broke free from its foundations, his grip on the ladder faltered and he plummeted to the streets below to his death. While they attempted to pull themselves back up onto the ledge, Bruce and Vicki also lost their grips and plummeted only to be saved by Bruce's Grapple Gun. In the following days, Bruce sent a letter and a personalized searchlight/signal to Gotham City Hall in the spirit of cooperation with the GCPD and the Bat-Signal was unveiled to the general public during a press conference. ''Batman Returns'' Bruce kept his promise, and continued his endeavors as Batman; he patrolled Gotham's streets and inflicted terror into the heart of the city's shrinking crime populace. Bruce's persistence to that path eventually led to Vicki leaving him; which was alienated by Bruce's inability to resolve his duality as Batman and Bruce Wayne. As time went by, Bruce began to notice the power grabs by commercial mogul Max Shreck into many of Gotham's commercial and industrial districts and moved to position himself as a competitor in Schreck's bid to run the city. However, the arrival of Gotham's Christmas celebrations, a new threat announced itself as the Red Triangle Circus Gang publicly invaded and destroyed the celebrations in Gotham Plaza for the purpose of capturing Shreck for unknown reasons. While they were eventually deterred by Batman's arrival, the Red Triangle Gang remained a threat and, the following morning, a member of the gang publicly attempted to kidnap the Mayor's baby during a public presentation by the Mayor that was going denounce the previous night's attack. While he attempted to escape via the sewers, the gang member "encountered" The Penguin who took the baby from the thug, emerged from the sewers, and before the crowd, returned the baby to the Mayor. Watching the reports of the event from Wayne Manor, Bruce initially felt sympathy following the Penguin's speech about finding his parents, however, when he observed how calmly Shreck stood next to the deformed creature as the press took photos, Bruce's suspicions increased. As the Penguin was admitted private access to Gotham's Hall of Records to trace the family records for his parents, Bruce began to investigate into the Red Triangle Gang's past to see if there was a connection between them and the Penguin. After he discovered reports of the circus that once possessed an "aquatic birdboy" as part of its freakshow performers, Bruce found adequate cause to suspect the Penguin of ulterior motives in his "return" to Gotham. As the Penguin grew in popularity among Gotham's populace; he discovered his parents' grave site and publicly declared his forgiveness for what they did to him, Bruce attended a meeting with Shreck the following day to contest his latest venture to build a new power plant to supplant Gotham's power reserves. During the meeting, Bruce mentioned suspicions of the Penguin, whom Shreck publicly supported, and who ran the Red Triangle Gang. While Bruce expected Shreck's outburst on the accusation, the appearance of Selina Kyle, whom he had saved previously during the first Red Triangle Gang riot, was something that he was unprepared for. Immediately smitten with the secretary, Bruce momentarily forgot where he was and let slip knowledge of the encounter even though he was Batman at the time. Leaving the meeting, Bruce returned to monitoring Gotham's streets for signs of the Red Triangle Gang's movements, and so was ready when the gang emerged to cause more public damage. While he worked his way through the gang members, and lost one of his Batarangs during an encounter, Bruce managed to personally confront the Penguin as he stood observing the gang's progress through the streets from Gotham Plaza. After he learned of the Penguin's intention to become Mayor, Bruce attempted to interrogate him further but was interrupted when a "cat-woman" appeared before them moments before the destruction of Shreck's. As the Penguin used the opportunity to escape via a helicopter-umbrella, Bruce turned to pursue the "cat-woman" only to be ambushed by her, became momentarily perplexed by her alternating passive/aggressive attacks; and ultimately became seduced enough for her to get in close enough to stab him through the weakest portions of the Batsuit's armor with her claw. After he returned to the Batcave to attend to his wounds, Bruce observed the Penguin's official challenge against the Mayor for Mayorship of the city on the television the following day; and noted that the challenge was also aimed at Batman himself. Bruce went to Gotham Plaza during the day as a precaution; he observed the preparation for the night's ceremony but became distracted when he encountered Selina window shopping. After a short conversation that uncannily led to their discussing the public opinions of their alter egos, Bruce invited Selina to spend the night at Wayne Manor. After a brief reluctance due to her own plans that night, Selina accepted. That night, following dinner, the pair reclined to the watch the lighting of the tree ceremony, but became more interested in each other instead. However, their attempts to get more intimate were deterred by the prospect of having to explain the injuries they each had received during their forays as Batman and Catwoman respectively. Eventually jarred out of their intimacy by a news report that announced the kidnapping of the ceremony's Ice Princess and Batman's suspected involvement due to the discovery of the Batarang that Bruce had lost the previous night. Making an excuse to leave, Bruce left Selina in the lounge while he entered the Batcave, donned a Batsuit, and investigated the kidnapping personally. While Bruce did so, Selina also excused herself from the manor and rushed to Gotham to do her part in the Penguin's plot against Batman. Entering Gotham, Bruce parked the Batmobile in an alleyway close to Gotham Plaza as he used his Grapnel Gun to ascend the buildings to get a prospective of the Christmas ceremony and unintentionally spied the Ice Princess tied to a chair in an adjacent building. Making his way to her, Bruce attempted to free her only to run up against Catwoman who, after a brief engagement, took the Ice Princess hostage and ascended the building. As Bruce followed, he once again discovered the Ice Princess alone, that time standing on the edge of the building's roof. However, before he could bring her to safety, the Penguin appeared and threw an umbrella before the princess that released bats. Startled by the flying creatures, the Ice Princess toppled over the edge of the building, plummeted to her death, and uncannily landed on the switch that she had to press to light the tree. However as the tree was lit, the sudden eruption of light startled a massive flock of bats that were stowed among the tree's branches. The bats erupted from the Christmas Tree, flew into the crowd, and caused mass hysteria in the gathered populace. Accused of pushing the Ice Princess off the edge and for planting the bats within the tree, Batman tried to apprehend the Penguin but he was interrupted by the sudden arrival of the GCPD, who, due to Batman's reputation and tactics that made him an intimidating specter, shot at him on sight. The force of the bullets on his body armor forced Bruce over the edge of the building only to land on another one where Catwoman waited for him. After she easily pinned Batman down in his weakened condition, Catwoman attempted to seduce him again; she licked his face under mistletoe that was conveniently above them. However, when Catwoman tried to stab Batman again with her claw, it only punctured his armor. Fully recovered and throwing her off, Bruce moved to the edge of the building and converted his cape into a glider; he glided his way to where he parked the Batmobile only to find that the Penguin had gained control of it and, while he was in it, sent the car on a destruction joy-ride through Gotham's streets. While Batman managed to regain control of the Batmobile, the Penguin's plan had worked and Batman's reputation as a hero was debunked in the eyes of the Gotham public. The following day, Bruce formed his own plan in retaliation and waited for the Penguin's public address; he hacked into Gotham Plaza's speakers and replayed the two quotes that the Penguin had spat at him the previous night during the Batmobile's joy-ride. The ploy had the intended effect; it effectively turned the Penguin's supporters and public opinion against him. Penguin's reaction turned violent as his supporters and Shreck abandoned him. Firing into the crowd, the Penguin fled to the park where he returned to his lair beneath the city. Repairing the Batmobile, Bruce made plans to attend Shreck's Masquerade Ball in order to see Selina again. Attending the party, Bruce momentarily confronted Shreck once again before he found Selina who, like him, did not wear a mask. While the pair quickly started where they left off romantically, Selina eventually broke down; and revealed to Bruce that she had come to kill Shreck for what he did to her. Furthermore, an off-hand quote about mistletoe that the pair had spoken to each other previously as their alter egos caused Bruce to realize that Selina was Catwoman, and Selina realized that Bruce was Batman. Intending to work things out, the pair left the dance floor just as the Penguin blew the floor apart and appeared from beneath it to announce his intention to kidnap and murder all of Gotham's first-born sons as retribution for what his parents had done to him. After he left the party, Bruce immediately set out to stop the Red Triangle Gang members as they gathered the babies into the Red Triangle Circus Train. After he captured the gang members, Bruce left The Organ Grinder's Monkey with a note to deliver to the Penguin; he used the monkey to carry a transmitter in order to find the Penguin's hideout. As the Penguin enacted his second plan to use his penguins to destroy Gotham itself, Bruce used the Bat-skiboat to enter the city sewers and hone in on the monkey's transmitter; he simultaneously worked with Alfred in the Batcave to block the Penguin army's control signal. After he cut off the Penguin's escape route by using a tunnel that led to the Old Zoo above, Bruce confronted and once again tricked the Penguin into releasing the penguins' missiles within the zoo; which caused the base's destruction as a flock of bats caused the Penguin to fall through the skylight of Arctic World and land among glass and sewerage of the base's lagoon. Peering through the broken skylight, Bruce caught sight of Selina, who had also made her way to the base, stalking Shreck, who had been captured previously by the Penguin to die with the first-born children. Using the Line Launcher, Bruce moved to stop Selina from killing Shreck; he pleaded with her stop her vendetta before it destroyed her. Bruce even went so far and removed his mask for her in front of Shreck. His pleas fell on deaf ears, however, and as Shreck pulled a gun and shot Bruce in the chest, Selina cornered him and used a taser that she had acquired from a Red Triangle Gang member to personally electrocute the corrupt mogul; which caused the base's power generator to explode as she did. After he recovered from the attack, Bruce began to search for Selina among the wreckage only to find the charred remains of Shreck. His search was further interrupted when the Penguin, who slowly bled to death, attempted one last time to kill Batman, picked up the wrong umbrella. Bruce watched as the Penguin's Penguins dragged him to the water's edge and let him sink beneath the surface. After he did not find her body, Bruce kept the hope that Selina was still alive, drove around Gotham's streets with Alfred, and hoped to find some sign of her. During one night, as they passed an alleyway, Bruce thought that he had seen Selena's silhouette and urged Alfred to stop the car. However, when he entered the alley, Bruce only found a black cat which he picked up, took into the car with him, and returned home as the Bat-Signal was lit again. After he lost another love, Bruce vowed to heed what the path of vengeance had done to Selina and opted to never again outright kill criminals less he too lost the battle with his inner darkness. ''Batman Forever'' In Gotham, Batman arrived at the Second Gotham Bank to stop Two-Face who committed a robbery. Batman foiled the robbery, but Two-Face escaped. While at the bank, Batman encountered Dr. Chase Meridian and they shared an instant attraction towards one another. Bruce Wayne then pursued the relationship. At Wayne Enterprises, Edward Nygma developed The Box which spiked images directly into the user's brain. Bruce stopped the project which then pushed Nygma to become the Riddler. Bruce took Chase to the circus where Two-Face arrived, and threatened to blow it up unless Batman revealed his true identity. The Flying Graysons got rid of the bomb, but Dick Grayson was the only member who survived. Bruce allowed Dick to stay at Wayne Manor as he saw similarities to himself, but Dick did not want to accept that. Bruce revealed to Chase that he was haunted by suppressed memories. Bruce then took Chase to Nygma's The Box launch where he tested The Box, and supplied the Riddler with the knowledge of Batman's true identity. After the battle with Two-Face in the subway, Batman was buried under the debris, but Dick saves him. After being rescued, Bruce criticizes Dick for risking his own life that could get him killed, still refusing Dick's requests of becoming his partner. Bruce was left in the dilemma of continuing to be Batman, saw as GNN News intimidated him, and Two-Face for the destruction of the subway, and saw that he was just Batman to fight against their greatest fear. Bruce decided to give up being Batman and have a normal life with Chase and preventing Dick from killing Two-Face. On the Halloween night, The Riddler and Two-Face invaded Wayne Manor, knocked out Alfred Pennyworth, and as Two-Face kidnaps Chase and knocks out Bruce Wayne with a gunshot, The Riddler destroys the Batcave, along with the batsuits, before leaving. The next day, Bruce had temporarily amnesia; he did not remember being Batman, and Alfred lead him to a section of the Batcave where he entailed him to fight his nightmares and his fear. In that section, Bruce observed his father's diary and realized that the death of his parents was never his fault and he then found the secret of the Batcave, the giant bat. After his rehabilitation and his acceptance of Batman, Bruce and Alfred solved the last riddle and discovered that Riddler was none other than Edward Nygma. Alfred and Bruce went down into the Batcave where Bruce put on the new prototype Sonar Batsuit. Dick assumed the identity of Robin and went with Batman to save Chase. When they got to Claw Island, where the Riddler and Two-Face had made their base, Two-Face captured Robin and the Riddler tried to force Batman to make a choice between Chase and Robin. Batman destroyed the mind device, and drove the Riddler insane. Then he saved Chase and Robin whom a crazed Riddler dropped to their expected deaths. Two-Face confronted the trio but his weakness of needing confirmation from his coin gave Batman the upper hand. Two-Face flipped his coin, Batman threw a handful of coins at him which made him lose track of his coin and his balance, causing him to fall to his death. Batman returned to a now mind-wiped Riddler, and answers the riddle of "Who is Bruce Wayne and Batman?" by telling them that he chooses to be, before scaring the Riddler into screaming for hours. After Chase visited the non-stop laughing Edward in a cell at Arkham Asylum, she informs Bruce that his identity is safe. Batman continued to operate in Gotham with his new partner, Robin. ''Batman & Robin'' Batman and Robin find Mr. Freeze from attempting to steal a valuable diamond from the local museum, but he escapes after freezing Robin, taking the diamond with him. Batman is able to thaw Robin, vowing never to allow any near-death experience happen to his partner. Alfred's niece, Barbara Wilson, makes a surprise visit and is invited by Bruce Wayne to stay at Wayne Manor until she goes back to college. Later, Bruce discovered that his butler and friend, Alfred Pennyworth is slowly dying of MacGregor's Syndrome. That night, a charity event is held by Wayne Enterprises (in attempt to lure Freeze) with special guests, Batman and Robin. Ivy decides to use her abilities to seduce them. Mr. Freeze eventually crashes the party and attempts to steal a diamond from the event. However, Batman and Robin give chase, with Batman shutting down the engine on Robin's motorcycle, not wanting to lose his partner again. Batman captures Freeze and imprisons him to Arkham Asylum. Batman and Robin, both got affected by Poison Ivy's mind control dust, which caused them to fight over her throughout the film. Batman soon realized what happened, and avoided her beauty and charms while Robin was still influenced. Eventually, Batman was able to gain Robin's trust again and the Dynamic Duo, along with their new partner, Batgirl, managed to apprehend Ivy, who was then imprisoned at Arkham Asylum. Batman stopped Freeze, along with Robin and Batgirl, from freezing Gotham with the new telescope at the Gotham Observatory, and revealed to Freeze that Poison Ivy had tried to kill his wife, Nora, in order to be the only woman in his life. Batman promised to have Freeze's wife moved to the lab at Arkham Asylum, where he would be able to continue his research and find a cure for her disease. Freeze also provided Batman with an antidote to save a dying Alfred. Batman still imprisons Freeze in Arkham again, where he promised to make Ivy's life "a living hell". Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce gave Alfred the antidote, and saved his life. After initial hesitation, Bruce allowed Alfred's niece, Barbara Wilson, to continue being Batgirl and join the crime-fighting team. Christopher Nolan ''Batman Begins'' ''The Dark Knight'' ''The Dark Knight Rises'' DC Extended Universe ''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' ''Suicide Squad'' ''Justice League'' ''The Batman'' Untitled Justice League sequel Early films and serials ''Batman'' ''Batman and Robin'' ''Batman'' Animated films ''Batman: Mask of the Phantasm'' ''Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero'' ''Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'' ''Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman'' ''The Batman vs. Dracula'' Television appearances DC animated universe Video game appearances Comic book appearances Relationships * Alfred Pennyworth - Best friend, mentor and father figure * Robin - Best friend, teammate and helper * Joker - Archenemy and Attempted Killer Quotes Gallery Trivia *Batman doesn't drink alcohol to keep his physical state at his peak, but he tricks others around him by consuming ginger ale and pretending that it's alcohol. *Batman chooses not to kill because it would make him no better than the criminals he defeats. For the Joker in particular he has come to terms with the fact that the Joker doesn't deserve death but deserves to suffer for the crimes he's committed and death would be an "act of mercy". 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